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Sunday, 16 November 2014

RAILA TOURS NEWLOOK KIBERA TO COUNTER UHURU, WAIGURU FORAYS

Cord leader Raila Odinga’s extensive tour of Kibera accompanied by his former campaign manager Eliud Owalo last week was ostensibly to counter president Uhuru Kenyatta forays in the area of late which have won Uhuru massive support.The tour has however sent chills down the spine of MP Ken Okoth with word that Owalo is to give a stab at the parliamentary seat.The tour was also used as a fact finding mission based on concerns raised by residents pertaining to recent forays in the constituency by Uhuru and cabinet secretary Anne Waiguru culminated in a major rally at the famous Kamukunji grounds in the constituency.The Cord leader used the occasion to receive back 32 fully-signed Okoa Kenya booklets with signatures. The Okoa Kenya signature drive in the constituency was undertaken through the initiation and facilitation of Owalo and whose launch was presided over by Raila himself in the company of Owalo about two months ago at the same venue.Speakers at the rally who included Raila claimed to the amusement of residents that all the major infrastructure projects currently ongoing in the constituency were conceptualised and initiated by Raila under the slum-upgrading project after the then PM toured Malaysia on a benchmarking mission. They alleged that the projects were frustrated through failure to release funds by the Treasury under the stewardship of Uhuru who was then Finance minister. Also in attendance were Langata MP Joas Olum and Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi.Conspicuously absent was Okoth who sources said he had been spotted at the offices of Nairobi governor Evans Kidero early in the morning. During the tour, there were some uncomfortable moments when boda boda riders shouted that they were tired of vitendawili and that they are happy with serikali ya kusema na kutenda.